When The Truth Comes Tumbling Out
by RaydorCakes
Summary: Tag to 4x08. "The moment she had finished notifying Gustavo Wallace and returned to the murder room, Sharon felt Andy's eyes lock on her. Not that it was unusual or that she didn't enjoy it, but she could almost feel something in his gaze. Something she couldn't quite place but still tried to. Different was the only word she felt fit, even if she wasn't quite satisfied by it."


A/N: It's official :D God okay I was squealing and my mom looked at me like I was insane. Anyway, here's my tag to tonight's episode. I own nothing, and enjoy!

~oOo~

The moment she had finished notifying Gustavo Wallace and returned to the murder room, Sharon felt Andy's eyes lock on her. Not that it was unusual or that she didn't enjoy it, but she could almost feel something in his gaze. Something she couldn't quite place but still tried to. _Different_ was the only word she felt fit, even if she wasn't quite satisfied by the vagueness of it.

"Hey." She walks over and stands beside his desk, watching as he signs off on his last bit of paperwork, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, uh, yeah." He closes the folder he had been working on and stands up, awkwardly tugging on the hem of his jacket before rolling out a kink in his neck, "Ah, what would you say to dinner?"

"I'd love to," she smiles, "but are sure sure you're alright?" She questions, her eyes narrowing as her finger danced through the air, "You seem... _Off_."

"I... I'm fine. Just a little nervous, I mean I'm asking my _official_ girlfriend on our second date. I'm entitled to some jitters."

"Oh come on." She laughs as she heads towards her office and retrieves her purse, "We've been going to dinner for years."

"But this is," he shoves his hands into his pockets and stares at the floor for a moment, "this is different. I mean we _are_ dating, but I need to talk to you too. It's important and I shouldn't have waited this long to say something I just-"

"Hush." She grins, pulling the strap of her purse back up onto her shoulder, "Just tell me when we get there."

~oOo~

The car ride had passed in companionable silence as it always did, only tonight their hands lay intertwined on the center console. Every so often Sharon would glance over at Andy, just trying to read his features. His face was hardened, and his grip on her hand was tight -not tight enough to be painful- but tighter than usual. He was always so gentle around her, and he would always move with an air of lightness. Something was bothering him and Sharon couldn't tell what, which bothered her too.

She didn't know what she expected him to say. Of course she hoped for an _'I love you,'_ and as much as she felt it, the second date was (in her mind) not exactly appropriate for that serious of a conversation.

The conversation she got, however, turned out to be much _more_ serious.

"Okay, Sharon, I'm not sure how to say this," Andy begins as they both eat their respective dishes, hers a house salad and his a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, "but I've been keeping a secret from you..." His voice trails off.

"Oh." Sharon glances at him for a moment as she takes a sip of her wine, "Not the ideal way to start our relationship, but these things happen. Is this why you're so worked up?"

"It's about Rusty." He blurts out and he hears her drop her fork, her light eyes suddenly dark as anger worked it way across her face.

"What." It comes off sounding more as an accusation than a question, and it suddenly occurs to Andy that maybe he shouldn't be doing this. He had told the Kid to take responsibility, yet here he was, with a furious woman on his hands.

"I guess I can't back out of this now, can I?" He questions, scratching the back of his neck.

"Now is _not_ the time for jokes Andy. What the hell is going on?!" As much as he wants to, he can't bring his eyes to meet hers. He can hear the genuine hurt in her voice and he realizes she is no longer 'Sharon,' but 'Mom.' Somehow, her reacting like this never crossed his mind. He expected her silent anger, not the Darth Raydor tone.

Finally raising his eyes to meet hers, Andy explains, "The other day, when we were working the case where we lost our men," he taps his hand on the table for a moment and Sharon nods in recognition, "you asked Buzz and I to sort through the tips."

"Yes, I did." She offers a small nod, smoothing out the napkin in her lap, "Where exactly are you going with this?"

"I found a tip filled out for one Gustavo Wallace." Her eyes lock with his as recognition sparks in her mind, "The background check came through and the guy had a record. Assault with a deadly weapon, battery, narcotics, but I couldn't connect him to our case."

"Rusty filled out that report." She says, her voice unwavering as she tried her best to mask the disappointment she was feeling, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I had a very _serious_ , very _long_ conversation with him, and he promised to tell you himself. But I saw how surprised you looked when he showed up today and I just knew he didn't tell you."

"God, Andy," she looks skyward for a moment, letting out a puff of air, "I don't know whether I'm more proud or angry with you two right now."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I told him to take responsibility for this mess. Neither of us were trying to hurt you."

"Please, don't apologize. I'll be hearing more than enough of them when I ask Rusty. I just can't believe he did that." Her voice inflects with the last word and her hands come up above the table, dancing along to her surprise, "We can all get arrested." She lets out a heavy breath as she takes a generous sip of wine, "We can lose our jobs, I can't believe he did that." It's the only thing she can manage to say.

"He had good intentions." Andy tries, his eyes not moving away from her, "He blew the case wide open."

" _Illegally_." Her voice is clipped as she enunciates every syllable, "I have to put a stop to this right now." She stands up, not even a hint of frustration visible in her movements, "We'll talk later."

"Sharon, let me come with you. I'm the one that talked to him, at least let me try and mediate."

"I don't think that's a good idea." She retorts, heading for the exit of the restaurant.

"And neither is you going home hell bent on interrogating him. Please." He's on the verge of begging as she searches for the car keys in her purse.

"Fine."

~oOo~

"Hey Mom, Lieutenant." Rusty nods as they enter the condo. As soon as he is within Sharon's line of sight, Andy hears her breathing pick up. He gently squeezes her forearm and she glances at him, her gaze softening momentarily.

"So, quite a thing, finding Alice's brother." Sharon starts, walking over and taking a seat on the couch across from him. She motions with her eyes for Andy to follow and he acquiesces, trying to hide the guilt written all over his face.

"Yeah, it was." Rusty replies, scratching behind his ear.

"So, how did you find him?" She asks pleasantly, her frustration masked all too well by the smile plastered across her face.

Rusty glances at Andy for a moment, "He left her a message. I was just following up on a lead."

Andy motions with his hand for Rusty to keep talking, and Sharon cocks her head to the side, the smile fading from her lips, "I'm proud of the work you did." She says as she rises from the couch, "Goodnight Rusty, and goodnight Andy," she leans in and quickly pecks his lips, "I'll be seeing you both tomorrow."

She starts to head off down the hallway when she hears Rusty call after her, "Sharon, wait. Can you come back out please?"

Turning on her heel and letting herself indulge in her little victory, she walks back out to the living room, crossing her arms over her chest, "What is it?" Her voice still carried that sweet tone that both men in front of her knew all too well indicated trouble.

"I found him because I went behind your back. You trusted me to help and I... I betrayed that trust and I betrayed everything any of the team has ever done for me. I'm so so sorry Sharon, I didn't mean to do any damage."

"Really?" She questions, a hint of frustration breaking through her thick emotional barrier, "You didn't mean to do any damage by lying to _me_ , lying to the _entire_ LAPD, or by interfering in an investigation involving the _murder_ of two police officers?! Do you realize how serious this is?! This is a thousand times worse than your visit to Slider!" Andy looks nervously from Sharon to Rusty, feeling almost like a spectator at a sparring match. He focuses more closely on Sharon, her flared nostrils and lightly shaking hands were nothing near an indication of how angry she was. She was so full of emotion that the excess just came pouring out, painting her in a way she seldom let herself be seen.

"I wasn't trying to take priority! And I do appreciate everything that you and the rest of the team have done for me, but Marianna's case is so important to me-"

"Is it important enough for you to spend time in _prison_?!" She cuts him off, watching as his eyes widen in horror. Clearly Andy neglected that little detail, "What about me? Or Andy? Or Lieutenant Provenza?" She asks, her voice low, "The entire Major Crimes division is facing jail time because this case was _so_ important to you. Do you think I want you to end up in jail, Rusty?" She asks, without giving him time to answer, "I raised you better than this. I am _extremely_ disappointed in you. We will finish this conversation later, please go to your room."

"Sharon I'm sorry I didn't-" He stands up, throwing his hands out in front of him as if to convey his sincerity.

"I said _go_." She growls, hugging herself tighter, "We both need time to reflect on this situation, goodnight."

She lets out a deep sigh and watches as he retreats to his room, closing the door more quietly than she ever recalled him doing it before, "You too, please Andy. I really appreciate you being here but I need some time right now." She says, her eyes focused on the bracelet on her left wrist, "It's not anything personal I promise I just-"

"It's fine. I get it." He shrugs, standing up and walking towards her, wrapping her in an embrace, "I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

"Don't be." She mumbles into his chest with what sounds something like a sniffle, "I had time to compose myself on the way over here. If he told me it would've been so much worse. I have to be careful with what I say to him because of everything he's been through."

"How can I make this up to you?" He asks, peppering her hairline with kisses, "I messed up too."

"You don't owe me anything." She shakes her head, "You had two impossible decisions. And I appreciate you talking with Rusty, I'm a little surprised actually."

"Well," he shrugs, rubbing lazy circles on her lower back, "I'm full of surprises."

"You are." She giggles, "And I love every one of them."

~oOo~

At the end scene, I definitely felt like Andy knew what was going on, hence why this chapter was only minor Shandy. Feel free to drop me a review, I do love them!


End file.
